In October of 1962 the world's two superpowers came to the brink of war. How did these former World War II allies come so close to dragging the entire world into nuclear Armageddon? How did their opposing ideologies shape not only the geography and politics of postwar Europe, but the geography, politics and culture of the postwar world for the next 50 years? In trying to answer these questions students will
demonstrate an awareness of chronology that links people, places and events through time
analyze and interpret information from a wide range of sources, both primary and secondary
identify the key questions, problems and issues of the Cold War, including the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, the division of Germany and Berlin, the Iron Curtain, spheres of influence, the policy of containment, McCarthyism and the Red Scare, the arms race, the space race, the CIA, the KGB and the Great Game, detente, Glasnost, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the USSR
compare and contrast events in postwar Europe, Communist China, Korea, Vietnam, Latin America and post-colonial Africa--all through the lens of containment
Throughout this unit, we will be working closely with Language Arts and Ms Craig's exploration of how historical events can lend themselves to dramatization and the artistic choices such dramatization demands.
Weeks 1-2: Why did wartime cooperation between the United States and the Soviet Union collapse in 1945-46?Weeks 3-4: Korea and the Red ScareWeeks 5-6: The arms race and the Cuban Missile Crisis
Why was the presence of Soviet missiles in Cuba a problem for the United States?
We've been studying the world's various systems of government, how they're organized and how they either nurture or undermine social mechanisms like the distribution of resources, individual freedom and minority rights. The students are currently tasked with writing a persuasive essay about the advantages and disadvantages of democracy.
The Eight/Nines began their new unit on terrorism and conflict this week. By referencing international coverage of the same acts of violence, students will integrate their study of current events with their research into the origins and objectives of many of the world’s most widely-known terrorist groups and get a better understanding of the role perspective plays in defining exactly who and what terrorism is.
Course Outline:
THE COLD WAR
Do good fences make good neighbors?AOI: Community & Service
How do we live in relation to each other?In October of 1962 the world's two superpowers came to the brink of war. How did these former World War II allies come so close to dragging the entire world into nuclear Armageddon? How did their opposing ideologies shape not only the geography and politics of postwar Europe, but the geography, politics and culture of the postwar world for the next 50 years?
In trying to answer these questions students will
Throughout this unit, we will be working closely with Language Arts and Ms Craig's exploration of how historical events can lend themselves to dramatization and the artistic choices such dramatization demands.
Summative Assessment:
Formative Assessment 1: Kennan vs. Wallace
Formative Assessment 2: Propaganda Poster
Weeks 1-2: Why did wartime cooperation between the United States and the Soviet Union collapse in 1945-46?Weeks 3-4: Korea and the Red ScareWeeks 5-6: The arms race and the Cuban Missile Crisis
Resources:
Timeline of the Cuban Missile Crisis: http://microsites.jfklibrary.org/cmc/
Mr. President, you've been briefed (Interactive exercise): http://www.teachingamericanhistory.org/neh/interactives/cubanmissilecrisis/
Avalon Project, Cuban Missile Crisis: http://avalon.law.yale.edu/subject_menus/msc_cubamenu.asp
Reading list, video clips and Web sites related to the Cuban Missile Crisis: http://www.anagnosis.eu/index.php?pageID=478&la=eng
Cold War interactive map of Europe: http://teachingamericanhistory.org/neh/interactives/coldwareuropemap/
North Korean propaganda posters (courtesy of calitreview.com):
Samples of student achievement:
Ongoing Reflections:
SYSTEMS OF GOVERNMENT
We've been studying the world's various systems of government, how they're organized and how they either nurture or undermine social mechanisms like the distribution of resources, individual freedom and minority rights. The students are currently tasked with writing a persuasive essay about the advantages and disadvantages of democracy.
"Is This Terrorism?" handout:
"Definitions of Terrorism" handout: